AS a self-confessed chocoholic, I have to admit I was excited by the prospect of a weekend in Belgium for edible reasons alone.

Brussels certainly did not disappoint on that account, with scores of chocolatiers crowding the city centre.

I was particularly happy to see some chocolatiers dedicated to making diabetic chocolate, as that is what I may have needed should I have stayed much longer.

After a two hour journey on the Eurostar from London St Pancras, we dropped our luggage off at the Ibis hotel, which was situated conveniently adjacent to the Gare Midi station. The room was spacious and very reasonably priced at £100 for two nights.

The following morning we visited the Grand Place with its beautiful architecture lying at the heart of the city.

While there we visited the city museum, which left us under-awed and with the distinct impression that nothing had really happened here.

This impression was compounded by a floor dedicated to the cultural emblem of Brussels, Mannequin Pis; (‘little man pee’) a fountain sculpture of a little boy urinating.

The legends behind the sculpture were vaguely interesting, but the sculpture itself, situated just off the Grand Place, was not.

The highlights of our trip were in discovering ancient little bars and eateries tucked away from the main tourist traps.

Our favourites were Au Bon Vieux Temps, a beautiful bar established in 1695 and La Chaloupe d’Or, a brasserie overlooking the grand Town Hall and serving a stunning range of pastries and cakes.

Only in these places did we feel a distinctive Belgian atmosphere, and I would not have been surprised to have seen Poirot himself tucking into a pie.

Brussels was good for dining out, the food and in particular the chocolate was delicious.

However, it was expensive and lacked a certain vibrancy.

The city felt almost eerily empty at times.

We left Brussels with the philosophy that any city acting as a centre for a political monster would naturally be a victim of cultural identity.

The view is perhaps unfair although I did meet a Belgian in London a few days later who, when I told him I had just visited his capital, looked confused and asked, ‘But what did you do there?’

Eurostar operates up to nine daily services from London St Pancras International to Brussels, with return fares from £69. The fastest London to Brussels journey time is one hour 51 minutes. Tickets are available from eurostar.com or 08432 186 186.